When developing products to create brand awareness, quality is everything and this is where quality control in manufacturing comes into focus.
Maybe your brand colors don't match, or the logo you spent hours perfecting looks a little “off” on the items. Sometimes even the font doesn't come out right.
Quality control can stop small defects like these from reaching potential customers and protect the image of your brand. This post explores some ways you can you can elevate the quality of your brand’s merchandise.
QUALITY CONTROL TIPS FOR BRAND IMAGE
Gaining control of your brand image is not as difficult as might seem. By following the tips below, you can remove many of the challenges you face and be on your way to elevating your brand’s presentation.
First steps first - Perform a supplier audit. Are you working with factories that have the capabilities to produce the quality standards your brand requires? Performing a preliminary audit of any manufacturing partners will help you weed out low-quality service providers.
Preparing the ‘golden sample', which is a must to confirm the accepted touch and feel as well as the general accepted appearance before production starts. It is often marked or sealed in a permanent manner so that it is easily identified and prevents swapping. The manufacturer should always have this on hand to reference during production and inspection.
Create a quality control checklist for any product your company is producing. It should specify the material requirements, weight and dimensions, color codes, labeling, and anything else that is important to your brand image.
If possible, consider consolidate manufacturers producing the same product. If you have multiple factories producing one product for you, there is bound to be some discrepancy
THREE ESSENTIAL TYPES OF QUALITY CONTROL INSPECTIONS
Pre-production inspection (PPI): The main aim of a pre-production inspection is to limit any potential delays or quality concerns. First, verify your supplier is ready for production and can deliver the agreed standard on time. This means going out and physically inspecting the supplier's factory, equipment, and raw materials beforehand.
During Production Inspection (DUPRO): Also known as an Inline Product Inspection (IPI), a DUPRO is conducted when 10 to 60 percent of your product has already been manufactured, and packaging has begun. This inspection provides an opportunity to address any defective issues or requirements that were not met at an earlier stage.
Pre-shipment Inspection (PSI): This is the last inspection phase of quality control. As the name suggests, it is done to verify that the finished goods meet quality standards before being shipped out. Usually, the inspectors will use a standard checklist combined with your specific requirements, confirming whether the products have checked all the boxes. The ISO 2859-1 (ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-2003) sampling procedure randomly selects a sample of the finished products.
Don't let quality control issues delay your launch or hurt your brand!
At FSE we have over 30 years of experience providing our clients with the tools and guidance they need to manage quality control. Our Quality Assurance Manager, Ricky Tai has over two decades of quality control and assurance experience and guides our quality teams and merchandising teams on the best practices. Drop us a note below, message us or contact our Sales and Marketing Manager, Anna Witthoft Rueger if you are facing challenges with quality control, we'd be happy to provide some solutions.